Smule Launches Leaf Trombone World Stage

First Massively Multi-player,
Musical Game for the iPhone and iPod touch

SonicMule, Inc. (Smule) announced
today the availability of Leaf Trombone World Stage, the world’s first massively
multi-player musical game for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Smule, the company behind Ocarina
and Sonic Lighter, presented a sneak peek of the Leaf Trombone World Stage at
Apple’s iPhone 3.0 event last month. As the name suggests, anyone can perform a
tune on the Leaf Trombone before a global audience. A player can also request a
panel of self-appointed judges, randomly selected from anywhere in the world,
providing an instant critique of the performance, using a combination of
emoticons and text. Judges can reward a performance or veto it mid-note.

The World Stage will separate the
Music Gods from the Wannabes. “People can play at home, alone, as badly as they
want. It’s like singing in the shower. Where’s the challenge? The thrill?” asks
Smule CTO and co-founder Dr. Ge Wang. “We are inviting people to abandon their
egos and put it all out there, before a global audience and a potentially
merciless tribunal.”

Inspired by traditional Chinese leaf
instruments, Smule’s Leaf Trombone is ideally suited to both the iPhone and iPod
touch platform. Users move the slide up and down to change pitch, and, with
iPhones, blow into the microphone to create sound. Leaf Trombone ships with a
group of songs already loaded, so users can immediately begin learning how to
play the instrument. A music box provides accompaniment, and floating leaves
show beginners where to place the slide to achieve the correct note. Once users
have mastered a song, they’re ready to perform on the World Stage.

“Leaf Trombone was developed to
unleash people’s creativity and their inner rock star.” said Wang. “Now, with
the Leaf Trombone, anyone can perform on the World Stage.”